I’m going to use my next three blog entries to lay out a plan for a different kind of men’s retreat. This week we’ll look at how we might call and organize men into teams before the retreat takes place.

In the past five years the church has exploded. Instead of five reliable men, Kirkland now has about 50. Overall attendance has more than tripled – from a low of 50 to an average of 175 on a given weekend. Giving is up. Mission work is up. The church is growing so rapidly there are plans to expand the facility.

It’s time to re-design the men’s retreat. If it’s just another church service with some intermural basketball, men won’t come. If you’re asking men to give up a weekend you’d better offer a mind-blowing experience that’s different than what they already get at church.

“I had chosen a career that kept me away from manly things altogether. Eighty percent of my daily interactions were with women—and I liked it that way. In those rare instances when I had to deal with men, there was usually a woman present, which kept me safe.”